Time to Head South to the Beach
After a short flight from Chiang Mai I made to Ao Nang, Krabi. I stayed at the Cliff View Resort and yes I would stay here again. Quaint cabins sitting on posts with the most comfortable bed. And having slept on concrete for 4 nights this was much needed. This resort is nestled in a jungle about a 20 min walk to the beach.
Roaming peacocks and yes critters in your room. Lizards climbing the walls and bird noises in the morning. If you are not an outdoorsy person, this place is not for you. The staff are great and breakfast was delicious.
Beach and a Massage
The first morning I took the shuttle that the resort offers down to the beach. It was really early and nothing opens till 9 or 10. I decided to walk the beach and take in the sea breeze air. After a couple of hours I went to get my massage. There is a Massage place every 50 feet and lots of locals offering you a great deal. I went to the Thai Thai massage which had a beautiful view of the ocean. For 450 Bhat I got the special scrub and massage. WORTH EVERY PENNY. I felt like a million bucks and that I could conquer mountains.
Beach Restaurants
The Last Fisherman Bar. Perfect views, great drinks and great food. I went to this place 3 times and one day will go back. The place next to this one has live music so you get that as well. As darkness fell, twinkle lights were turned on and torches lit. A great place to relax and watch the sun say goodnight to the world.
The Last Fisherman Bar. Perfect views, great drinks and great food. I went to this place 3 times and one day will go back. The place next to this one has live music so you get that as well. As darkness fell, twinkle lights were turned on and torches lit. A great place to relax and watch the sun say goodnight to the world.
Monkey Trail and New Friends
The next on my way down to the beach in the shuttle I met to 2 beautiful souls from Argentina. Pablo and Rodrigo decided to join me for the small hike to Monkey trail. At the East end of Ao Nang beach is a trail of wooden flat stairs leading you to Pai Plong beach. As I made my way on the beach I couldn’t help but feel this was my place. With only a few people on this beach and high lime stone cliffs, this was the place to relax.
Railay Beach, Viewpoints, Caves and a Shrine
The next morning I said goodbye to the boys and hello once again to Linzie (from the elephant sanctuary in Chiang Mai). We took a long tail boat from Ao Nang pier to Railay Beach for about $5. After spending about a half hour on the beach it was time to get some breakfast (Linzie) and coffee (Me). On the agenda we had planned to go to the viewpoint, see some monkeys and check out this very well know shrine.
The Viewpoint
So getting to the viewpoint is not the walk in the park I thought it would have been. Turns out it is rock climbing, by the way sandals are not good footwear. You had better be in good shape and able to climb to do this. After what felt like hours of climbing we made it. Soaked in sweat, muddy feet and burnings legs it was worth it. The view is amazing. There is also a path to the lagoon but other hikers said at the time the lagoon was muddy and the water was not clear. So we took some pictures and made our way back down, which turns out was way harder.
Monkeys and Caverns
Between the viewpoint and Phra Nang Beach is a path. This path has caves, caverns and so many Monkeys. By the way they tell you do not feed them, I get it, they can become aggressive. You may want to hang on to your belongings around these guys, mainly your sunglasses, they will take them.
Phra Nang Beach and Cave Shrine
Okay, so I had seen this on Pinterest but had to see it in person. People, local and from around the world, come to this cave. This is a fertility shrine. Having a large family is a big deal in Thai Culture. Women come here to pray and make an offer in the shape of a penis. There are two caves like this and as someone who does not see a future with children I did not get too close. The beach here is packed with locals and tourists so we swam over to the other caves and went for a small hike. There are also Portuguese jellyfish in this area so be careful.
Swimming over I was looking up at this cavern, the small echoes of people chatting. Be sure to wear water shoes as you will be hiking over rocks and they are sharp as Linzie found out. Do not touch them. At the furthest point there is a spectacular site to be seen. It is worth the walk and the bandaids.
Snorkeling Time
My underwater skills need improvement but over 2 days of snorkeling I was getting the hang of it. I booked my tours with Kon Tiki in Ao Nang. I went to 2 different places, Bida Island the first and Mayas the second where Linzie joined me. So I get so excited when I say I seen a shark, I did get it on video but they swim away so fast.
On the second day while at the Mayas location two of the guides were trying to cut some fishing line from the coral. As I was filming them one of the guys showed the sign for shark and as I turned there it was, a black tip shark. I’m glad it darted away just as fast, not sure if the heart could take it. I also got to swim beside a turtle, ok this was better than the shark. At least it wouldn’t try to eat me. The only thing that almost attacked me was a trigger fish, I wasn’t paying attention and my guide was losing it lol. Although the waters were a little rough and murky it was still amazing.
14 Days from Home to Home
I really enjoyed this trip. Aside from the anxiety. No trip is every complete without some kind of hiccup. The people I met on this journey will be friends of mine forever. I think for me this is the most important part of my travels. Here are some extra pictures.
